Rat-trap for use on ships&#39; hawsers.



H. L. WORTHINGTON. RAT TRAP FOR USE ON SHIPS HAWSERS.

APPLIOATION FILED 00126, 1910.

1,052,547. Patented Feb.11,l913.

% %W, w cz UNITED s'rATEs Parana OFFICE.

.HAMILToN LABA'r-r wonrnme'rou, or SYDNEY, new scorn WALES, Aus'rmma.

BAT-TRAP r03 UsEoN sHIPs HA'WSERS.

' Be it known that I, HAMILTON LABATr' \Vonrmkc'rox, a subject of Great Britain, residing at No. '6' Crown street, Sydney, in the Stateqot NexwSouth Vales, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rat-Traps for Use on Ships Hawsers; of which the following is a specification,

This invention has for its object the prof riding of a trap for rats and mice for use upon the hawsers of ships with the object of intercepting and catching such vermin intheir attempted passage from the ship to the shore or vice versa.

Referring to the annexed sheet of explanatory drawings Figure 1 is a perspec tive view of the trap shown fixed upon a ships hawser.. Fig.2 a sectional side elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 a transverse section on line A A in F 1g. 2, the dotted portion showing'the cheeks or disks swung open for placing in position or removal.

The disks or checks are each divided into two parts 1 and 2 and each pair is hinged together at 8. The upper-and the lower pair of disks are each braced together by stays 4c and a covering piece 5 is inserted between the two upper semi-disks 1 to act as a protection for the hawser 6. Aflrat proof wired inclosure 7 furnished with an aperture 8, race 9 and hinged drop door 10 at each end issecured to the upper semidislrs and forms the trap. Stops 11 on the drop doors 10 allow them to open to a predetermined point only, A door rarer emlp- 1e tying purposes is formed in the side of trap 7i Vhen the trap 1s fixed n posit on on the hawseror hawsers the upper and the lower sections are held firmly in place by the coiled spring 13 the lower end of which is secured to the stay 4 and the hook 14 is clasped over one or other of the bars of the ca e or is threaded into one of a series of ho es formed in a plate fixed to the cage for that purpose. g

It is evident that when the trap is to be fixed to hawsers ofvarying circumferences ready adjustment can be obtained with facility by means of the spring 13 drawing the upper and lower sections together until the bite securely on the hawser. To uns lip the trap from the hawser the hook 14 of the spring 13 is-releascd and the upper and lower halves 1 and2 of the checks or Specification of Letters Patent.

disks are swung readily be removed.

lock the upper and the lower portions together a lever with-connecting links may be employed for the same purpose.

In carrying out the invention the trap, baited or unbaited, is securedtothe'" hawser of the ship preferably at a point equidistant from the ship and shore. The rats ,or mice in their endeavors to reach either'ship or shore have no otherpassage available than through the apertures Sin whichcase having entered beyond the drop doors-lO they are prevented from returning to cable 6..

When more than one cableflisl'ttieiprotected the aperture 15 is made either -anoval or other convenient shape so that adjacent cables may be grouped together and clasped by the one trap.

Should it be undesirable to firmly fix the latter to turn or twist, due to the movement of the ship, the tension of the spring 13 is adjusted so that the trap loosely rides -upon the cable, a counter-balancing weight being hung on the underside of the trap to keep the latter in an upright position.

revolution.

I When the traps; are't e used upon a cable the angle of whiclr woiild caus-e'eithe'r one or other of the trap doors. shown in the those doors or substitute for them tapered spiked entrance runs such as are commonly Qhsed upon the well known form of fish traps.

to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A trap for the purpose specified commonnted between a pair of substantially parallel cheeks or disks, said disks forn-uug the open when 11702111. then In place of'acoil spring being used to trap to a cable, owing toa tendency of the.

In a modification of the invention a rat' Patented Feb. 11, 1913.;

Application filed October 26 1910. Serial No. 589,161. a

'ing thedisks or cheeksgthrough one half.

drawing, to open by gravity, I eitherweight \Vhat I claim as my. invention and desire prising and or mouse proof receptacle end closures of the receptacle. each dish being formed of two parts hinged together and provided w1th openings and trap doors therefor.

. v 2. A trap for use upon shipsv h'ewsers comprising apeir of hinged and substan .j tia1ly parallel disks or cheeks between which 1nounted; a, rat proof receptacle furnished with ofpenings'and trapdoors therefor-,said disks orniing the end closures of the receptacle, ea ch disk being formed of upper and lower .seotions, end a spring arranged to draw thenpper'and lower sections together hinged to one another adjacent their outer edges, whereby-the trap may'be'positioned on the hawser, an inclosure extending between said end members, said'end members being provided with openings communicating with said inclosure, means as sooiated with said openings for permitting animals to pass into said inclosure, but preventing them fr om passing out of the same, and means-for holding the parts of the end port-ions together in gripping engagement with the hawser. I

testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two itnesses.

HAMILTON LABATT WORTHINGTON.

4 Witnesses: C. G. HEPBURN,

Al E. Goonm, 

